Verse 2. Tht land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:] All
Ver.'^e 3. The Salt Seii] The Dead Sea or lake Asphaltitis; see the note on Gen. xix. 25.
Verse 5. The river of E^sypt] The eastern branch of the river Nile; or, according to oihers, a river which is south of the land of the, "hili'-tines; and falls into the gulph or bay near Culieh. See the?nap in P'.xodus.
the great sea ye shall point out for
Verse 6. Ye skull aen have the great aea./or a border} Tbc
you " mount Hor: 8 From mount Hor ye shall jjoint out 1/oi/r border " unto the entrance ol' Haniath; and the goina[s forth of the border!?hall be to ' Zedad:
9 And the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at " Hazar-enan: this shall be your north border.
10 And ye shall point out your east border from Hazar-enan to Shepham:
1 1 And the coast shall go down from She])ham ' to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the ^side of the sea ^ of Chinnereth eastward:
12 And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the "•oin'jfs out of it shall be at ^ the salt sea: this sliall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.
13 And Moses commanded the chikb-en of
Mediterranean Sea; calletl here the Great Sea, to distinguish ii from the Dead Sea, tlie Sea of Tiberias, '&c. which were only a.<ort of Itikes. In Hthrew tlierc is properly but one term, □» yam, which is apphed to all colkction.i of water, apparently stagnant; and which is generally translated ico. The Greek of the New TestaiT:ent follows the Hebrew, and ein))loys, in gjeneral, the word fiaXatrs-a SEA, whetlier it sjicak of ilie Mfditerrunean, or of the sea or lake of Galilee.
V<rse 11. Theses, of Ctiinneretli] The same as the sea of Galilee, sea of Tiheri.is, and sea of Gennesareih.
Verse 12. The border shall iio doien to Jordaii] This river is famous both in the Old and New Testaments. It takes its rise at the foot of mount Libanus, passes through the sea of "Cinnerelh or Tiberias, and empties itself in the lake Asphaltitis or Dead Sea, from which it ha.> no outlet. In and by it God wrouijht many miracles. Gk)d cut od' tiie waters of this river as he did those of the Red Sea, so that they stood on a heap on each side, and the people passed over on ilry gnjund. Both Elijah pnd Elishah separated its waters in a miraculous way, 2 Kings ii. 8 — 1 4. Naamnn, the I^yrian general, by washiniiin it, at the command of the prophet, was miraculously cured of his leprosj', 2 Kings V. 10 — 14. lu this river JoAn baptized great multitudes of Jews: and in it was CllUIST himself baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upun him, and the voice from heaven proclaimed him the preat uud on'y teacher and.Sariourofuun. Matt ni. 16. \1 Mark i.. 5 — II.
Verse 1.3. This is t/ie land which ye shall inherit by lot"
Israel, saying, ' This is the land which ucf^]' ye shall inherit by lot, whioli the Lokd.\n. i^od.isr. commanded to give unto the nine *""
14 "For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance:
15 The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inlieritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the siunising.
16 ^ And the Lord spake luito Moses, saying,
17 These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you: ' Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun.
18 And ye shall take one "prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance.
19 And the names of the men are these: of the
it from Arabia, and skreen it from the burning and often pestiferous winds which blow over tlie desarts from that i]uarter. On the west it is bounded by the Hkditerruncan Sea, on the north by mo,:nt Libanus, which defended it from the cold northern blasts; and on the east, by the river Jordan, and its fertile well watered plains. It is described by God himself as " a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains, and depths that spring out of yallies and hills; a land of wheat, and bai'ley, and vines, and figtrees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey; a land wherein there was no scarcity of bread — and where both iron and copper mines abounded. " — Dent. viii. 1 — 9. A land finely diversified with hills and vallie.s and well watered by the ram of heaven, m this respect widely different from ll'gypt. A Kind which God cared for, on which his eyes were continually placed from the beginning to the end of the year; watched over liy a most merciful providence; a land, which, in a word, flowed with milk and honey, and was the most pleas.mt of all lands. — Deut. xi. II, 12. Ezck. xx. 6. Such was the land, and such were the advantages that this most favoured people were called to possess — 'they were called to possess it by ■ tot that each might be satisfied with his possession, as considering it to be appointed to him by the special providence of God— and its boundaries were ascertained on Divine authority, to prevent all covetousness after the territories of others.
Verse 1 9, &c. And the names of the men are these'\ It is worthy of remark that Moses dues not follow any order hitherto used, of pl.icing the tribes, neither that in Num. i. nor that in chap. vii. nor that in chap. xxvi. nor any other; but places them here exactly in ihat order in winch they possessed the land, 1. Judatj. 2, tiimeon. 3. Uenjauuiu.
tribe of Judah, * Caleb the Jephunneh. 20 And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.
21 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Elidadthe son of Chislon.
22 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the son of Jogli.
23 The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod.
24 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kerauel the son of Shiphtan.
4; Dan. 5. Manasseh. 6. Ephraim. 7. Zebulon. 8. Issachar. 9. Asher. 10. Napthah. Judah is firsf, having the first lot; and he dwelt in the South part of the land. — Josh. xv. 1, &c, and next to him Simeon, because his inheritance was uithin the inheritance of the children of Judah, Josh. xix. i. Benjamin was third, he had his inheritance by Judah, betiveeii the children of Judah and the children of Joseph, Josh, xviii. II. Dun was ihe fourth; his lot fell westward of thai of Benjamin, in the country of the Philistines, as may be seen in Josh, xix 40, 41, &c. Fifthly, Manasseh, and sixthly by him. h.s brother Ephraim, whose inheritances were behind that oi Benjamin, Josh. xvi. 17. Next these dwelt, seventhly, Zahulon; and eighthly, Issachar, concerning whose lots see Josh xix. 10 — n. Ninthly, Asher, and tcnthly, Nupthali. — See Josh. xix. 24.;j2, &c. And as in encamping about the
25 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphau the son of Parnach.
20 And tlie prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan.
27 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi.
28 And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud.
29 These are they whom the Lord commanded to ''divide the inheritance unto the children of Israel in the land of Canaan.
tabernacle, they were arranged according to their fraternal relationship, see chap. ii. so they were in the division, and inheriting of the promised land. Judah and Sijiieon, both sons of Leah, dwelt abreast of each other. Benjamin, son of Rachel, and Dan, son of Rachel's maid, dwelt next abreast. Manasseh and Ephraim, both sons of Joseph by his mother Rachel, had the next place abreast. Zabulon and Issachar, who dwelt next together, were both sons of Leah: and the last pair were Asher, of Leah's maid, and N'aphtali of Rachel's maid. Tiius God, in nominating the princes that.should divide the land, signified beforehand the manner of their possession, and that they should be so situated, as to dwell together as brethren in unity, for the mutual help and comfort o!' each otiier. —.See Ainsiuorth In this arrangement there is much skill, judgment, and kindness every where di.splayed.
CHAPTEPv XXXV.
The Israelites are commanded to give the Levites, out oj their inheritances, cities and their suburbs for themselves and for their cattle, goods, <S)T. 1 — 3. The suburbs to be 3,000 cubits round about from the zeal/ of ihc cih/, 4, 5. The cities to beforti/-two, to which six cities of refuge shall be added, in all forty-eight cities, 6, 7- Each tribe shall give of these cities in proportion to its iMssessions, 8. These cities to be appointed for the person zcho might slay his neighbour unazmres, 10 — 12. Of these xix cities there shall be three on each side Jordan, 13,14. The cities to be places of refuge for all zcho kill a person unawares, zchelher they be Israelites, strangers or sojourners, 15. Cases of murder to zvhich the benrft of the cities of refuge shall not extend, l6 — 21. Cases of manslaughter to zchich the benefts of the cities of refuge shall extend, 22, 23. IIozo the congregation shall act between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, 24, 25. The tnanslayer shall abide in the city of refuge to the death of the highpriest, for if he come without the border of the city of his refuge, the avenger of blood, ifhefind him, may put him to death, 26, 27. Jfter the death of the high priest, he shall reliirn to the land of his possession, 28. Tzco witnesses must attest a murder, before the murderer can be put to death, 29, 30. Every murderer to be put to death, 31. The manslayer is not to be permitted to come to the laud of his inheritance till the death of the high priest, 32. Tiie land must not. be. polluted with blood, j'or the Lord dwells in it, 33, 34.
All. Kiod.
AN D the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Joriclio, saying,
2 * Command tlie children oi' Israel, that they give unlo the Levites of the inheritance of their possession, cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also inito the Levites suburbs, for tlie cities round about them.
3 And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all tlieir beasts.
4 And the suburbs of the cities, wliich ye shall give unto tlip T^evit»^'^, sJiall reach fiuin the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round
5 And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city sliall he in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.
6 And among the cities which ye
unto the Levites there shall be ^ six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and " to them ye shall add forty and two cities.
7 So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be '' forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.
8 And the cities which ye shall give shall be " of the possession of the children of Israel:
j '^ irom thon that have niany, ye shall give many; I but from them that have lew, ye shall give few: } every one shall give of hir? cities untu the Levites, according to his inheritance which * he inheriteth.
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, " When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
1 1 Then ' ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you •, that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person " at unawares.
Verse 4. And the stiburbs of the cities — shall reach /row the wait of the city outivard, a thousand cubits round about.
Verse 5. And ye shall measure from without the city two thousand cubits, &c.] ComiiRnlalors liave been much puzzltd with liie accounts.n these two vcrse.=. In ver. 4. the measure is said to be 1,000 cubits from the wall: in ver. 5. the measure i.s said to be 2,000 from without the city. It is likely these two measures mean the same thing; at least so it was understood by the Septuagint and Coptic, who have Jitrp^jiXicy; -ry^x^'i, 2,000 cubits, in the fourth, as well as in the Jifch verse; but this reading of the Septuagint and Coptic is not acknowledged by any other of the ancient Versi(>nf, nor by any of llie MSS. collated by Kcnnicott and De Rossi. We must seek th.erefore for some other method of reconciling this apparcntlj' contradictory account. Sundry modes have been proposed by comnicntators, which appear to me, in general, to require full as much explanation as tlie text it«eli'. Maimonides is the only one intelligible on the subject. " The suburbs," says he, " of the cities are expressed in the Law to be S.OOO cubits on every side from the wall of t!ie city and outwards. The first thousand cubits are the suburbs; and the 2,000, which they measured without the suburbs, were for fields and vineyards." The whole llierefore, r>f tlie city, suburbs, fields, and vineyards may be represented by the following diagram.
Verse 1 1. Ye shall appoint — cities of refuge] The cities of refuge among the Israelites were widely diderent from the
12 'And they
shall be unto you cities for retbge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.
13 And of these cities which ye shall give, ^ six cities shall ye have for refuge.
14 " Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, •i.i'hich shall be cities of reflige.
15 These six cities shall be a refuge, both for,the children of Israel, and " for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person una wM res, may flee thither.
16 " And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
17 And if he smite him Svith throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
18 Or if he smite him with a hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
19 ^The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him.
20 But '' if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him ' by laying of wait, that he die;
21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be
put to death; fo7' he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay
22 But if he thrust him suddenly ''without enmity, or have cast upon him- any thiug without laying of wait.
! 23 Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and "was not liis enejny, neither sought
I 24 Then ' the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revengei" of blood according to these judgments:
I 25 And ihc congregation, ^liall deliver the •slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood; and the congregation sliall restore him to the
I city of his refuge, Vv'hither he was fifed: and "he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, "which was anointed with the holy oil.
26 But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his
i 27 And the revenger of blood find him witliout the borders of the city of his refuge, and
\ the revenger of blood kill the slayer; ° he shall
, city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his pos-
I 29 So these things shall be for '' a statute of
a.5y/rt among tlie Greeks and Romans; as also from the privileged aluirs, among the Roman Cathohcs. Tliose among the Hebrew.^ were for the protection of such only, as liad slain a person invohintarily. The temples and allars among the latter, often served for i\vi protection of the most profligate cliaracters. Cities of refuge among the Hebrews were necessary, because the old piitriarchal law still remained in force: liz. that tiie nearest akin had a right lo avenge the death of his relation, by slaying the murderer; for the original law enacted, that ivfiosocier shed incni's blood, bj/ inanshaU Ids blood be sited. Gen. \x. 6. and none was judijed so proper to execute this law, as the man who was nearest akin to the deceased. As many rash executions of this law might take place, from the verv nature of the thing, it was deemed necessary to qualify its claims, and prevent injustice; and the cities of refuge were judged projier for this purpose, fvor do we ever read that they were ever,ound inefficient; or, that they were ever abused.
Verse 1'2. Until he stand before (lie congregation in judevieni.'] So, one of these cities was not a perpetual asylum; it was only a pro tempore refuse, till the case could be fairlv examined by the magistrates in the presence of the |)eo]ile, or the elders their repre.*entiitivts: and this was done in the. city or place where he had done the murder,.losli. xx. 4, 6. If he was found worthy of death, they delivered him to the avenger, that he might he slain; if imt, th.ey sent him back to the city of refuge, wlK're he remained till the death oC the. high-priest, Deut xix. 1:2. ]k' fore the cities of refuge wereappointed, tlie altar appears to have been a sanctuary tor. ttiftse who had killed a person unwittingly; see the notes on ' Kxod. XX i. 13, 14.
ol" witnesses: but one witness shall not testily
against any person to cause him to die.
'o\ % Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the lile of a nnu'derer, which is ^ guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.
32 And ye shall take no satisiiiction ior him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that
tlie redeemer of blood, the next in blood to liiiii ivlio was slain. See on tlie i)i-ecetlinn; verse.
\'er5e.30. But one xiilness s/iall not testifl/ against any] Tliis was a y\>t and necessary provijijon. One man may be jiiistaken, or so violently prejudiced, as to imiiosc even on his own judgment; or so uiclced, as to endeavour liu'ougli malice to compass the life of his neighbour: but it is not likely that fjjo or more should be of this kind: and even were they, their separate examination would lead to a discovery of the truth, and to their conviction.
Verse 31. Ye sltull take no satisfaction for tlie life of a inurdcrerl No atonement could be made lor liim, nor any c<>»imutation.so as to save him from death. All the laus of the civilized world have either adjudged the nuudcrer to death, or to a puni-shmcnt equivalent to it; such as perpetual iniprisonment— in a dungeon — under ground — on a stone floor — without light, and to be fed on a small portion of bread and water. In such circun:stances, a man could live but a short time: atid though it is not called the punishment of death, yet from its inevitable consequences, il only diitercd from it, by being a little longer respite than was usual, where the punishment of death was awarded. See the note on Gen. ix. 6.
Verse 32. Until the death of the priest.] Probably intended to typif}', that no sinner can be delivered from his banishment from God, or recover his forfeited inheritance, till Jesus Christ, the great High- priest, had died for his offences, and risen again for his justification.
Verse 33. For blood it defdeth the land] The very land was considered as guilty, till the blood of the murderer was ^lled in it. No wonder God is so parlicvilarly strict in his laws against murderers. 1, Because lie is the author of life.
lie should oome again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.
33 So ye shall not pollute tlie hiiid wiicrein ye are: lor blood "it defilcth the kind: and '' the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but 'by tlie blood of him that shed it.
34 ' Defile not therefore the land whicli yo ' shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for ^I the Louu
dwell unioug the childi-eu of Israel.
>■ Ilcb. there can ic no crpuilum for the limH.— 1'3. Dcut. '.it.?.V sKvnd.
and none has any right to dispose of it but himself. 2. Because life is the time to prepare for the eternal world, and on it the.salvation of the.«out, accordingly depend.?; ihereforr it is of infinite consequence to the man, that his life be Icngt!)- cncjl out to the utmost limits assigned by the divine Providence. He who take^ a man's life away before his time, may be the murderer of his soul as well as of his body. Therefore the severest laws should be enacted against this, both to punish and prevent the crime.
The IVIosaic cities of nfu:;e, have in general, been con., sidered not merely as civil institutions; but as types or reprc« sentations of infinitely belter things: and in this light St, Paul seems to have considered ihein and the «/.'«r of God, which was a place of general nfuge, as it is pretty e\idenl that he had them in view when writing the following words: " Ciod, willing more abundantly to shew unto the lieirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by ai) oath; that by two immutable things (his oath and promise) in which it was impo.-siblc for God to lie, we might have a >trong consolation « ho have FLKO for UEFUGr. to lay HOI.n upon the HOPE.set before us." Jleb. vi. 17, 18. Independantly of this, it was a very wise political institute; and while the patriarchal law on this point, continued in force, this law had a direct tendency to cool anil moderate the spirit of »<;- vcnge, to secure the proper^ accomi>li»hment of the ends of justice, and to make ^^ay for every tiaiin of rnercy and cquiit/. Rut this is not peculiar to the ordinance of the cities of refuge, every institution of God is distinguished in the same way; Inning his own glory, in the present and eternal welfare of man immediately in view.
The inconveniences Kliich might he prodiicetl tji/ daughlcrs, in/terilrixes, marnjing out of their oKn tribe, remedied, on the reconuneridation nf certain chiifs of the tribe <f Joseph, ulio stated the ctise of the daughters of Zelophchad, 1 — 4. The daughters of. Zelophehiid are conimnnded to ninrrij in their oun tribe, 5, 6. zchich is lobe an ordinance in all similar circumstances, 7 — 9. The daughters of Zelophehail many their father's brothers' 4ons, and thus ihcir inheritance is preserved in their oun tribe, 10 — VI. The conclusion of (he commandmcnls givmi lij the Lord to the hraelites in the plains of Moab, 1 J. -
AND the chief fatlier,^ of the fa- J^\_ miHes of the * children of Gilead, the son of Machii', the son of Manassehj of the tamihes of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spake before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel:
2 And they said, ^ The Lord commanded my lord to give the land ibr an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and ' my lord Avas commanded by the Loud to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters.
3 And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then.shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe " whereunto they are received; so shall it be taken from the lot of our inlieritance.
4 And -when ' the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our lathers.
5 ^ And Moses commanded the children of Israel a;ccording to the word of the Lord, saying. The tribe of the sons of Joseph ' hath said well.
6 This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the dau"h-
^ marry to whom they think best; " only to the family of the tribe of their fathers shall they marry.
7 So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for eveiy one of the children of Israel shall 'keep'' himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
8 And ' every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her lather, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man, the inheritance of his fathers.
9 Neither shall the inheritance remove from o)ie tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.
10 % Even as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad:
12 And they were married " into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the iiimily of their father.
Verse 2. To gire the inheritance of Zelophehad — tinto ids daughters."] See this ca»e fpoken of at large on chap, xxvii.
Either the first eleven verses of chap, xxvii. should come in before this chapter; or tltis chapter should come in immediately after those eleven verses; lliey certainly both make parts of the same subject.
Here Moses determines that heiresses should many in their own tribe, that no part of the ancient inheritance might be alienated from the original family.
Verse 6. Let them marry to whom they think best'] Here was latitude sufficient, and yet a salutary and reasonable restraint; which prevented a vexations mixture of property and posftession.
Verse 8. Every daiichter that possesseth an inheritance] This law aifected none but heiresses; all others were at liberty to marry into any of the other tribes. The priests and Levites, who could have no inheritance, were exempt from the operation of this law. Jehoiada had the king of Judah's daughter to wife, 2 Chron. xxii. 11. And another priest had for wife one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, Ezra ii. 61. " By reason of such marriages," says Mr. Ainsworth, " there might be kindred between Elisabeth, the mother of John the Bapti.-;t, who was of tlie daughters of Aaron, and Mary the Virgin, the mother of our Lord, who was of the lineage of David, and tribe of Juciah," Luke i. 5, 3G. iii. 23— a 1.
Verse 1 1. Mahlah, Tirzah, &.C.] For a curious account of these names, see the notes on chap, xxvii. 7.
Verse 12. And their inheritance remained in — the family] By this example, and the law of inheritances in the Holy Land, the people of God, says Ainsworth, are taught to hold fast their inheritance in his promises, and their right in Christ, which they hold by faith; that as the Father hath made tium meet to be partakers of the inheritance among tlie saints in light. Col. i. 12. so they may keep the faith and grace which they have received, to the end.
1 3 These ments and
are the ' command- JI of Mo^es unto the cliilcTrcn of the judgments, -svhicli }■ Israel ^ in tlie plains of I\Ioab, by
Verse 13. These are the commandments, &c.] See these difl'ert:it terms analysed and e.\pluined, Levit. xxv. 5.
Thus ends the book of Xuinbers, containinj;^ a series of astonl>l)iiicj providences and events. Scarcely any piece of history in the Sacred Writings, is better calculati d to impress the mind of a serious reader with a sense of the goodness and severity of God. In every transaction, his holiness and justice appear, in closest union with his benevolence and mercy. From such a Being, what have the wicked not to fear! — from such a Father and Friend, what have the upright not to hope! His;H5<y(.r requires hiin to punish iniquity; but his 7neny inclines him to pardon all wlio truly repent, and believe in the Son of his love.
'Jhe journeyings of this people, from the time they lell Eg^ypt, exhibit a series of providential wonders. Every where, and in every circumstance, God appears: ami yet there is no circumstance or occasion, that d jes not justify those signal displays of liis GRACE ami his JU.-;tice. The genuine history of God's providence must be S'jught for in thi> book alone: and as every occurrence happened as an example; we have authority to conclude, that in every case, where his own glory and tjje salvation of man are interested, he will interfere and give the fullest proofs that he is the same to day, that lie v^s yesterday; and will continue unchangeable, for et-cr and «■<■)•. Reader, are these matters en.<amples lo ihfc? Art thou, like the Israelites, come into the plains ol' Moab, on the very verge of the promised land? Jordan alone separates thee from the promised inheritance. O watch and pray, that thou come not short of the glory of God. The last er>emy that shall be destroyed is Death — see, then, that the sting of death, which is sin, be extracted from thy soul, that, being justified by hs blood, thou luayest be made an heir accordint^ to tlie hope of an eternal life. Amen. Amen.
" 1 will bring you into the Wii.DERNFSS of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the WU.DERNESS of the land of Egypt. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and bring you into the bond of the covenant," Ezek. xx.
" He (Chris!) is the!\T< diator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for tiie redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament, they which are called, might receive the promise of eternal inheritance," Ileb. ix. 15.
SECTIONS of the Book of Numbers, carried on from Leviticus, which ended with the TUiRTY-TIIIRD.
The number of verses in this book is 1,288, of which ^B"l^{ is the symbol: for N aleph stands for 1000, T resh for 200, Qphe for 80, and H clutk for 8.
The middle verse is the 20th of chap. xvii. And the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom. — -(N.B. In our English Bibles this is verse 5 of chap, xvii.)
hi pareshioth, or larger sections, are 10, expressed by the letters ol the word 1^3 budad, alone. — The Lord.■ILONE did lead him. Dent, xxxii. 12. — 1 daletlt stands for 4, repeated fierc, 8, anil 3 beth for 2.
Its sedarim, or Masoretic sections, are 32, expressed by the word 37 leb, heart, Psal. li. 12. Create in me a. clean HEART, 0 God; in which word, 3 4«/» stands for 2, and h tamed for 30.
Ils chapters are 36, expressed by the word iS lu, 0.' Deut. xxxii. 29. O that they -were wise ' in which word, S lamed stands for 30, and 1 vau for 6'.
The number of its open sections is.92; its close or.':hut sections, 66; together, 158; expressed in the memorial word ip^n chelekeca, J am THY PORTION; in which word, p kopfi stands for 100, S lamed for 30, 3 caph for 20, and H chcth for 8.
Though this sort of notations may appear trifling to some; yet to an upright Jew they were of much consequence. The very technical words used in such cases, put hhn always in mind of something, in which the glory ot God, and the happiness and salvation of his own soul, were concerned. — See the note at the en I of Genesis, and see the concluding notes on the Book of Deuteronomy.